20 OCTOCTOBER 2006

NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 119

had been pushed back from the police station and the ship
had departed, however the police by now had no more tear
gas and were low on pepper spray.
On 19 January, a list of identifiable offenders was compiled
and arrests were made, resulting in some 150 strikers
coming back to confront the police station. After a long
stand-off and some negotiations, a number of people gave
themselves up to police and by early afternoon the number
of arrests had risen to 57. These prisoners were successfully
removed from Yandina, after which the police spent the rest
of the day out in the community talking to people, trying to
settle the situation down to ensure their own safety, the
safety of the local Royal Solomon Island police members
and those workers who had tried to load the ship.
Throughout these incidents, Sergeant White displayed
exceptional bravery and leadership in the face of an
overwhelming number of rioters armed with slingshots and
rocks. He co-ordinated defensive positions as well as
leading repeated forays made up of untrained Royal
Solomon Island police personnel against the rioters, in
efforts to disperse them. His leadership, determination and
resolve over the two days of rioting led to the successful
quelling of the riots and the arrest of over 50 offenders. The
police response was undertaken with very limited manpower
and resources, without respite for rest or replenishment and
in circumstances which had the potential for the loss of life.

THE NEW ZEALAND BRAVERY MEDAL (N.Z.B.M.)

Philip Samuel BLAKEMAN
Sergeant, Royal New Zealand Air Force

Citation
On the evening of 3 June 2004, Sergeant Blakeman was the
winchperson in the crew of an Iroquois helicopter that had
been tasked to assist with the evacuation of a Royal
Australian Navy seaman who had suffered serious spinal
injuries after falling down a ravine on the Florida Islands,
part of the Solomon Islands group.
The crew had been flying for over three hours, in low cloud
and torrential rain, by the time they finally positioned over
the rescue site in the evening to rescue the seaman. As
Sergeant Blakeman was lowered on the winch wire,
visibility reduced markedly when the helicopter rotors
sucked down the thin layer of cloud from above, such that
the winch operator in the helicopter could see neither the
ground nor Sergeant Blakeman on the wire, only the
treetops. The winch operation was continued with Sergeant
Blakeman passing through a gap in the 65 metre high
treetops, amidst broken branches, until he reached the
ground some 75 metres below the helicopter. This was
almost at the full extent of the winch cable.
Sergeant Blakeman first supervised the winch recovery of
the doctor, an activity which was made difficult by the lack
of direct communication with the helicopter. Through
relaying radio directions through HMAS Tarakan, which
was anchored nearby, Sergeant Blakeman was able to effect
the doctor’s recovery and then directed his attention to the
injured seaman, who he assisted into a stokes litter. He then
accompanied the injured seaman as they were winched up to
the helicopter. During the ascent they were exposed to the
hazards presented by darkness, bad weather, poor
communications with the helicopter crew and the distance to
the helicopter. The hazards were further compounded when
Sergeant Blakeman and the stretcher-bound casualty began
to spin rapidly for much of the ascent through the trees, until
reaching the helicopter.
Sergeant Blakeman was well aware of the significant risk
that this rescue posed to him personally. Had the helicopter
crew lost visual reference or been unable to maintain a
stable hover, the winch cable might have had to be cut and
he would most likely have been killed. Despite the risk, he
conducted his duties calmly and professionally, and his
actions were central to the safe recovery of the injured
seaman.

Kerry Charles PALMER
Shaun Bruce CAMPBELL
Hugo Johannes Josephus VERHAGEN

Citation
On 25 September 2000, John Painting and his son Matthew
were tramping in the Kaimanawa Ranges. At an altitude of
almost 1,500 metres (5,000 feet), they were caught in what
was later reported as a “50 year storm” with freezing
temperatures, 70 knot winds and blizzard conditions. They
were found by chance in a distressed condition and suffering
from hypothermia by Brian Pickering, who was on the first
day of a six-day journey into the Kaimanawa Forest Park.
Using his skill and experience, Mr Pickering positioned the
two men below the track, placed them in their sleeping bags
and gave them food. He tried to wrap them with a tent to
shield them from the driving wind. He then dialled 111 on
his cell phone and alerted the police to the situation.
A Search and Rescue Team was activated but not able to be
deployed until well after dark. Access to the Kaimanawa
Range begins from a road end at an altitude of 680 metres,
and then climbs sharply for a distance of five kilometres to
the tree line at an altitude of 1,330 metres. The “lost party”
was a further 5.5 kilometres across the open tops of the
range. These tops are rock and pumice with sparse tussock
cover, and totally open to the elements. The first team to
reach the tree line spent some time attempting to cross the
open tops of the range, but soon became so physically
exhausted by the extreme weather conditions, that they were
forced to turn back to shelter at the tree line.
A second search team, consisting of Kerry Charles Palmer,
the team leader, Shaun Bruce Campbell and Hugo Johannes
Josephus Verhagen were deployed some time later. After
three hours walking in the dark to the tree line, they
ventured onto the open tops before daylight. There they
struck extreme conditions, with the wind at a right angle to
the ridge and blowing at approximately 70 knots. The wind
was so strong that it made breathing very difficult. There
was snow underfoot except for short distances where it had
been blown off exposed parts of the track. Much of the snow
was knee deep and progress required “plunging” foot holes.
Mr Verhagen was blown over several times and on one
occasion was blown into a small crevasse and had to be
assisted out by the other two members of his team.
At times the group had to hold each other in a huddle to
avoid being blown over. After traversing approximately
three kilometres along the open tops, the trio had to
reconsider their position as they had doubts as to their
ability to reach the stranded trampers in the extreme
conditions. They decided to continue as they knew that there
was a strong possibility one or more of the “lost party”
might die without further assistance
On reaching the lost trampers, they found that Mr Painting
was in poor condition, although his son and Mr Pickering
were in somewhat better condition. They were in a shallow
hollow out of the wind, but otherwise in the open. They
were wrapped in plastic sheets and sleeping bags which was
the only material available. The team immediately set about
erecting shelter, provided hot food and drinks and then
helped Mr Painting and his son into warm clothes.
Some three hours later a third search team arrived on the
scene and once the group was fit to move, the campsite was
moved to a more sheltered spot.
By mid-afternoon, the wind lessened and the three members
of the second search team were able to walk out and return
to their base. Other search and rescue personnel remained